Individual needle control means for circular warp knitting machines

ABSTRACT

THE NEEDLES ARE SELECTIVELY POSITIONED AT KNIT, TUCK OR FLOAT LEVELS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PREDETERMINED PATTERN TO PROVIDE VARIOUS PATTERNS IN THE KNIT FABRIC. THE CONTROL MEANS IS OPERABLE UPON THE BUTTS OF THE NEEDLES TO SELECTIVELY VARY THE HEIGHT TO WHICH INDIVIDUAL NEEDLES ARE RAISED BY A NEEDLE ACTUATING RING SURROUNDING THE NEEDLE CYLINDER. THE CONTROL MEANS INCLUDES STEPPED SLIDES SUPPORTED FOR RADIAL MOVEMENT IN THE NEEDLE OPERATING RING AND BENEATH THE BUTTS OF THE NEEDLES. CAM SLIDES ARE POSITIONED BENEATH AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE STEPPED SLIDES FOR PROPERLY POSITIONING THE STEPPED SLIDES WHEN THE NEEDLE ACTUATING RING ISLOWERED.

. mh 2,1971 R,E,MERR,T'T 3,566,618

INDIVIDUAL NEEDLE CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR WARP KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1969 I 1 26 N W ZZ 22 7 IO 4 R l I '40 A q mimnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmnnnn |l s 32 I'I'QIII Q 'l 22- i i H.

&3 32 i I INVENTORZ ROBERT E. MERRITT ATTORNEYS March 2, R E. n' INDIVIDUAL NEEDLE CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR WARP KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 15, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 2, 1971 R. E. MERRITT 3,566,618 INDIVIDUAL NEEDLE CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR WARP KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed. Oct. 15, 1969 INVENTOR; TZQBERT E: MEEJQJTT Y fling Jan ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,566,618 INDIVIDUAL NEEDLE CONTROL MEANS FOR CIRCULAR WARP KNITTING MACHINES Robert E. Merritt, Mount Airy, N.C., assignor to Renfro Hosiery Mills Company, Mount Airy, NJC. Filed Oct. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 865,703 Int. Cl. D04b 25/02 US. Cl. 66-8 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The needles are selectively positioned at knit, tuck or fioat levels in accordance with a predetermined pattern to provide various patterns in the knit fabric. The control means is operable upon the butts of the needles to selectively vary the height to which individual needles are raised by a needle actuating ring surrounding the needle cylinder. The control means includes stepped slides supported for radial movement in the needle operating ring and beneath the butts of the needles. Cam slides are positioned beneath and in alignment with the stepped slides for properly positioning the stepped slides when the needle actuating ring is lowered.

This invention relates generally to circular warp knitting machines of the type disclosed in copending application Ser. N0. 676,147, filed Oct. 18, 1967, the disclosure of said copending application being incorporated by reference into the present application. More particularly, the present invention relates to individual needle control means for use with circular warp knitting machines.

Circular warp knitting machines usually include a needle raising and lowering ring which operates to simultaneously raise all of the needles and then lower them to a stitch loop forming level so that all of the needles knit with each stroke of the needle ring. While some patterning is possible by varying the feeding of the yarns to the needles, the range of possible patterns is severely limited because all of the needles are raised and lowered the same amount.

It is an object of the present invention to increase the patterns which may be knit on a circular warp knitting machine. To this end, means is provided for individually controlling the raising of the needles so that selected needles are raised to less than the full knitting height.

According to the present invention, all of the needles are drawn downwardly to the same level during each knitting stroke of the needle ring and stepped slides are provided beneath the needle butts to selectively vary the amount of upward movement imparted to certain needles during each upward movement of the needle ring. Cam slides are supported in alignment with and beneath the stepped slides and pattern means is provided to position the sam slides in the proper location so that the stepped slides engage the cam slides and are moved to the proper position as the needle ring moves downwardly to the lowermost portion of its stroke. The cam slides are positioned by electromagnets which are energized in timed relationship with the operation of the knitting machine by the pattern means, such as a punched card or pattern tape.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view looking down on the needle cylinder of a circular warp knitting machine with the individual needle control means of the present invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational 'ice view of the portion of the knitting machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through one slot of the needle cylinder, the needle being positioned at the lowermost or stitch loop drawing level and showing the needle control means associated therewith;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the needle raised to the uppermost or shed level;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating the needle raised to an intermediate tuck level;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating the needle raised to an intermediate float level;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 7-7 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 88 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 9 is a somewhat schematic diagram illustrating the manner in which the electromagnets are controlled by a pattern tape.

The conventional parts of the circular warp knitting machine will first be described and then the individual needle control means of the present invention will be described in association with this machine. The knitting machine includes a needle cylinder 10 having vertically extending slots which slidably support needles N. The needles N are preferably latch type needles and are provided with butts 11 extending outwardly from the slots in the needle cylinder 10. Suitable spring bands 12 surround the needle cylinder and resiliently maintain the needles N in the slots of the needle cylinder 10. The lower end of the needle cylinder 10 is suitably supported in a fixed position on frame 14 of the machine.

Sets of warp yarns Y are fed to the needles N by suitable upper and lower guide rings 16, 17 which are supported for oscillation in respective upper and lower sets of grooved rollers 18, 19. The rollers 18, 19 are rotatably supported on the inner ends of respective brackets 20, 21 which are in turn adjustably supported on the upper ends of three equally spaced support posts 22 (FIG. 1). The lower ends of the support posts 22 are suitably supported on the frame 14.

The forward ends of operating links 25, 26 are pivotally connected to the respective guide rings 16, 17 and their rear ends are connected to the upper ends of respective bell cranks 27, 28. Pattern wheels, not shown, impart movement to the bell cranks 27, 28- to thereby oscillate the yarn guide rings 16, 17 and to feed the yarns Y to the needles N as they are raised and lowered, in a manner to be presently described.

In accordance with said copending application, the needles N are all simultaneously raised and lowered the same amount and in timed relationship to operation of the yarn guide rings 16, 17. A vertically movable needle actuating ring surrounds the needle cylinder and engages the butts of all the needles. The needle ring is supported on the upper ends of vertically disposed rods which are vertically reciprocated by an eccentric on a main drive shaft.

In the present machine, a main drive shaft 30 (FIG. 1) is rotatably supported in the frame 14 and an eccentric, not shown, imparts vertical reciprocation to vertically disposed needle operating posts 31, 32 (FIG. 2). The upper ends of the posts 31, 32 are suitably connected to outwardly extending portions at opposed sides of needle operating means, broadly indicated at 35. The needle operating means 35 operates to simultaneously lower all of the needles N to a lowermost or stitch loop drawing level, as shown in FIG. 3. This needle lowering means comprises a needle actuating ring 36 surrounding the needle cylinder 10 and including an inner peripheral 3 portion 37 overlying the upper operating edges of each of the needle butts 11. During each knitting cycle, the ring 36 is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 3 so that the overlying portion 37 engages the upper edge of the butt 11 of each needle and lowers all of the needles to the lowermost or stitch loop drawing level.

Individual needle control means is provided for selectively raising certain of the needles N to an uppermost or shed level, as shown in FIG. 4, for selectively raising other needles to an intermediate tuck level, as shown in FIG. 5, and for selectively raising other needles to an intermediate float level, as shown in FIG. 6. The individual needle control means includes stepped needle control slides 40 which are supported for radial sliding movement in grooves in a support ring 41, suitably secured to the ring 36, as by screws 42 (FIG. 3). The stepped slides 40 are in alignment with the butts 11 of the needles and their stepped inner end portions are adapted to at times engage the butts 11 of the needles N, in a manner to be presently described. A depending cam portion 44 extends downwardly from the stepped slide 40 and the lower end is provided with a V-shaped cam surface. The depending cam portion 44 extends through a slot 45 in the support ring 41.

Selector means, broadly indicated at S, is supported on the frame 14 and beneath the ring 36 and operates to locate the stepped slides 40 in the proper radial positions for raising the corresponding needles N to the desired height. When the stepped slide 40 is located in its innermost position, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower edge of the butt 11 of the corresponding needle N will be engaged by the upper surface thereof and the needle N will be lifted to the uppermost or shed level as the needle actuating ring 36 is raised to its uppermost position. When the needle is raised to this uppermost position, the latch of the needle swings down and its tip moves above the level of the stitch loop surrounding the shank of the needle, as shown in FIG. 4. When yarn is fed to the needle hook and the needle is then lowered to the position shown in FIG. 3, the stitch loop will close the latch and the stitch loop will slide up over the hook of the needle and be cast off.

When the stepped slide 40 is located in the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5, the lower edge of the butt 11 of the corresponding needle N will be engaged by an intermediate step 40a and the needle N will be lifted to an intermediate or tuck level. At this tuck level, the stitch loop on the needle is not moved below the tip of the latch but the needle hook is raised a sufficient height that yarn may be fed to the needle.

When the stepped slide 40 is located in the outermost position, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower edge of the butt 11 of the corresponding needle is not engaged by the stepped slide 40 but is engaged by the lower portion of the ring 41 and is raised very slightly, on the order of about one-eighth of an inch. This slight lifting of the needle is not sufficient to move the previous stitch loop below the lower end of the tip of the latch and the needle hook is not raised high enough to pick up a yarn so that the needle is lifted to an intermediate or float level. As the needle actuating ring .36 is then lowered, the needle N remains in substantially the same position but is lowered slightly, as will be noted by comparing the levels of the needles in FIGS. 6 and 3.

The selector means S includes a cam slide 50 supported in alignment beneath each stepped slide 40. The cam slides 50 each have a V-shaped upper cam surface and are supported for radial sliding movement in suitable grooves in a support ring 51, fixed on the frame 14. A cam slide positioning shaft 50a is connected at its inner end to the cam slide 50 and the medial portion extends through an electromagnet coil 52. A depending plate 53 is connected at its upper end to the outer end of the shaft 50a and its lower end is adapted to be engaged by the outer end of a second cam slide positioning shaft 54 which extends through and is supported for sliding movement in a second electromagnet coil 55.

An enlarged stop 56 is provided on the inner end of the shaft 54 and engages opposite sides of a groove in the support ring 51 to limit longitudinal movement of the shaft 54. A compression spring 60 surrounds the inner portion of the first positioning shaft a and one end bears against a collar 61 while the other end bears against an upstanding grooved portion of the support ring 51, in which the electromagnet coils 52, are supported. A stop ring 62 surrounds and is spaced from the support ring 51 and is adapted to at times be engaged by the plate 53, in a manner to be presently described.

When neither of the electromagnet coils 52, 55 are energized, the compression spring urges the positioning shafts 50a, 54 and the cam slide 50 to the innermost position shown in FIG. 3. Then, as the ring 36 is lowered, the lower V-shaped cam on the stepped slide 40' will engage the upper V-shaped cam surface of the cam slide 50 and cause the stepped slide 40 to move to its innermost position, as shown in FIG. 3. As the ring 36 is then raised, the needle N will be raised to the uppermost or shed level shown in FIG. 4.

If it is desired to raise any one of the needles to the tuck level, as shown in FIG. 5, the corresponding cam slide 50 will be moved to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5 by energizing the second electromagnet coil 55. This will move the second positioning shaft 54 outwardly until the stop 56 engages the outer surface of the groove and the outer end of the shaft'54will move the plate 53 and the first positioning shaft 50a outwardly so that the cam slide 50 will be positioned in the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5, as the needle actuatting ring 36 is lowered. If the slide cam 40 is in the innermost position shown in FIG. 3 or in the outermost position shown in FIG. 6 when the ring 36 moves downwardly, the lower cam surface will engage the cam surface on the slide 50 and thereby move the slide 40 to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5. In this intermediate location, the step 40a will be positioned beneath the lower edge of the butt 11 of the needle. During the next lifting stroke of the needle actuating ring 36, the needle will thus be raised to the tuck level shown in FIG. 5.

In order to raise the needle only a slight amount, to the float level shown in FIG. 6, the electromagnet coil 52 is energized as the needle actuating ring 36 moves downwardly toward its lowermost position so that the cam slide 50 is drawn outwardly to its outermost position. As the electromagnet coil 52 is energized, the first positioning shaft 50a is drawn therethrough and moved outwardly until the plate 53 engages the outer stop ring 62, thereby compressing the spring 60 and positioning the cam slide 50 to engage and move the needle stepped slide 40 to its outermost position. With the stepped slide 40 in the outermost position, the lower edge of the butt 11 of the needle N will be engaged by the lower portion of the ring 41 so that it will'rernain in a lowered position during the major portion of the upward stroke of the needle actuating ring 36 and will only be raised a slight amount, as shown in FIG. 6.

Regardless of the height to which the needles are raised, all needles are lowered as the upper edges of the butts 11 are engaged by the overlying portion 37 of the needle actuating ring 36 and it is moved to the lowermost position shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the lower edges of the butts 11 are positioned above the upper level of the stepped cams 40 so that they are free to move radially beneath the needle butts. The amount of radial movement imparted to the stepped cams 40 will depend upon the position of the cam slide 50.

Suitable pattern control means (FIG. 9) is provided for selectively energizing the electromagnet coils 52, 55 for selectively positioning the corresponding cam slide 50 in the proper location at any time that the stepped earns 40 are not in engagement with the cam slides 50. That is, during the major portion of the upperward and downward stroke of the needle actuating ring 36. The point at which the electromagnetic coils are energized is not critical eX- cept that the cam slide 50 must be properly positioned when the needle actuating ring reaches the bottom of its stroke. As shown in FIG. 9, the pattern control means includes a pattern tape T which is driven by a suitable roll 64 and is provided with rows of punched openings 65, 66 for controlling the operation of the respective electromagnet coils 52, 55. Suitable pattern detector devices, in the form of switches 67, 68, ride on the outer surface of the tape T and are closed upon engagement with the punched openings to thereby complete a circuit to and energize the corresponding electromagnet coil 52 or 55.

A main wire 70 is connected at one end to one side of each of the switches 67, 68 and a second main wire 71 is connected at one end to one side of each of the electromagnet coils 52, 55. The other ends of two wires 70, 71 are suitably connected to any suitable source of electrical energy, not shown. A wire 72 is connected at one end to one side of the electromagnet coil 52 and at its other end to the switch 67. A wire 73 is connected at one end to one side of the electromagnet coil 55 and its other end is connected to the switch 68. Thus, when the switch 67 engages an opening in the row 65 of the tape T, as shown in FIG. 9, the switch 67 is closed to complete the circuit from the main wire 70, through the Wire 72, through the electromagnet coil 52, and through the main wire 71 so that the electromagnet coil 52 is energized and the corresponding cam slide 50 is thereby moved to its outermost position, as shown in FIG. 6. As the ring 36 moves down to the bottom of its stroke, the stepped slide 40 will be moved to the outermost position. Then, during the next upward stroke of the needle actuating ring 36, the corresponding needle will be raised to the float level.

If neither of the switches 67, 68 are closed, the cam slide 50 will be moved to its innermost position by the spring 60, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The stepped slide 40 will then be moved to its innermost position so that corresponding needle will be raised to full knitting level, as shown in FIG. 4. If the switch 68 is closed, the electromagnet coil 55 will be energized to move the cam slide 50 to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5. The stepped slide 40 will then be moved to its intermediate position so that the corresponding needle will be raised to the tuck level shown in FIG. 5.

Thus, the present individual needle control means includes means for simultaneously lowering all of the needles to a lowermost or stitch loop drawing level during each knitting cycle and means for individually selecting the needles to be raised to various levels, such as full knit position, tuck level, or float level, during each knitting stroke. The present individual needle control means thereby provides a wide range of pattern possibilities on a circular warp knitting machine.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

I claim:

1. In a circular warp knitting machine including a needle cylinder having vertically extending slots therein, a circle of needles supported for vertical movement in said slots, and means for feeding individual yarns to said needles, the combination therewith of (a) means for simultaneously lowering all of said needles to a lowermost stitch loop drawing level, and

(b) individual needle control means operatively associated with each of said needles for selectively raising certain of said needles, to an uppermost shed level, and for positioning others of said needles to at least one level below said shed level.

2. In a circular warp knitting machine according to claim 1 wherein operating butts are provided on each of said needles, said butts extending outwardly from said needle cylinder and including upper and lower edges, wherein said means (a) comprises a needle actuating ring surrounding said needle cylinder and including a portion overlying the upper edges of each of said butts, and including drive means for imparting continuous vertical reciprocation to said ring between said uppermost and lowermost levels, and wherein said needle control means (b) is selectively positioned to engage the lower operating edge of each of said butts.

3. In a circular warp knitting machine according to claim 2 wherein said needle control means (b) includes stepped slides supported for radial sliding movement in said ring for selected movement beneath said butts.

4. In a circular warp knitting machine according to claim 3 including selector means operable to selectively position said slides beneath said butts.

5. In a circular warp knitting machine according to claim 4 wherein said selector means comprises electromagnets operatively associated with each of said stepped slides.

6. In a circular warp knitting machine according to claim 4 including pattern means operable during the major portions of both the upward and downward movements of said ring.

7. In a circular warp knitting machine according to claim 4 wherein said selector means comprises cam slides supported for radial sliding movement beneath said stepped slides and having an upper cam surface, and cam means on the lower portion of said stepped slides, said cam means being engageable with the upper cam surface of said cam slides as said ring moves to its lowermost position to position said stepped slides to correspond with the position of said cam slides.

8. In a circular warp knitting machine including a needle cylinder having vertically extending slots therein, a circle of needles supported for vertical movement in said slots, and means for feeding individual yarns to said needles, the combination therewith of (a) means for simultaneously lowering all of said needles to a lowermost stitch loop drawing level, and

(b) individual needle control means operatively associated with said needles for selectively raising certain of said needles, to an uppermost shed level, for selectively raising others of said needles to a first intermediate level between said shed level and said stitch loop drawing level, and for positioning others of said needles to two different levels below said shed level.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 6681 

